ChosenRebel's Blog

The ‘prophet’ Amos is actually a shepherd from Tekoa, to whom God gave several visions of God’s soon-to-be-revealed judgment of eight nations, including Israel and Judah. All of these small ‘nations’[1] are being judged primarily for their unfaithfulness and cruel treatment of the poor. Their collective violence and lack of compassion for the needy has drawn the ire of heaven, whose sovereign will soon act and give each of them a dose of their own medicine. The book is set in the reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel in 762 BC.

At the time of Amos’ prophecy, apostate Israel was a rich and powerful nation. Yet, Amos took them to task for ignoring the poor, failing to exercise justice, and reducing their religion to mere ritual. How can we avoid these pitfalls, which seem to periodically haunt God’s people throughout history?

Today, as I watch the news about fires in LA and New York court cases that seem like a waste of time and money, ice storms in the east and reaching down into the south, continuing violence in our cities, looting of fire and flood damaged properties, hurricane damaged communities in the mountains of North Carolina and the levels of governmental incompetence being revealed by all of these things—I wonder if any of it will cause our nation to turn to God.

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“What will it take to turn the nation back to God?”

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Reading Amos this morning, that question was impressed upon me even more. Take a look at chapter 4.

⁶ “But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all your cities
     And lack of bread in all your places,
     Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
⁷ “Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you
     While there were still three months until harvest.
     Then I would send rain on one city
     And on another city I would not send rain;
     One part would be rained on,
     While the part not rained on would dry up.
⁸ “So two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink water,
     But would not be satisfied;
     Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “I smote you with scorching wind and mildew;
     And the caterpillar was devouring
     Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;
     Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
¹⁰ “I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt;
      I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses,
      And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;
      Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
¹¹ “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
     And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze;
     Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.

America, when will you return to God?

When will you respond to the invitation of Amos 5:4

“Seek Me that you may live.”

or Amos 5:6

“Seek Yahweh that you may live.”

Pray for revival. We need it.

Footnote:

        [1] ‘Nations” is somewhat of a misnomer. In some cases, like Tyre, these are city-states, in others, regions with distinctive people groups, in another, it is a confederation of tribes that split from the Davidic kingdom and known to us as the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  (Timestamp: January 8, 2025)